when is the best time to catch particular fish

[barry luxton]

what conditions what fish if you dont mind me asking.

the reason i am asking all these questions is that i have sussed bream, skimmer, roach, and other small fish (i think) and i am desperate to step it up a gear, dare i say it i might be getting a little boared of fishing (well at least the style of fishing i am doing). i am desperate for big fish and really want to increase my chances as i have spent all of the summer chasing tench, and nothing. had to do a bit of bream fishing just for my sanity lol.

 

 

Step up a gear ehhh. You could always broaden you horizons, get on a fishing boat for some cod, pollack, nice little conger eel or blonde ray, bass, turbot and you can eat some if you wish, haven't got board yet.

[thuramario]

You're bored of catching small fish because you think you've sussed them out, you've caught no tench and now you want something bigger? I think you lack patience.

not at all, i have caught no tench, but will continue to try its just i think that the time of year might be wrong for tench, so maybee i should wait until next spring before tench fishing. i dont lack patience at all, i fish all day, through the night and the day after if i have the time, sometimes up to 2 times a week and even when i am not catching i am enjoying the environment im in. your judgement couldnt be more wrong lol.

[Anderoo]

not at all, i have caught no tench, but will continue to try its just i think that the time of year might be wrong for tench, so maybee i should wait until next spring before tench fishing. i dont lack patience at all, i fish all day, through the night and the day after if i have the time, sometimes up to 2 times a week and even when i am not catching i am enjoying the environment im in. your judgement couldnt be more wrong lol.

 

I know the feeling - you put in loads of effort for very little reward. It won't be wasted though, when you come round to tench fishing again next year you'll be way ahead. There's only so much punishment you can take - I recommend putting the tench on hold until next April, May and June (they'll be far easier to catch then, and bigger) and switching to perch and chub for the autumn.

 

Certain species are better prospects as the season progresses, and this is very lake in the year for tench fishing. At this time of year, low light conditions, especially dusk, and mild weather are generally very good for all species. The first few cold days can knock everything dead for a few days, but if it stays cold the fish will acclimatise. It's a time of year for short, sharp targetted sessions - 2 hours before dusk and 1 after is often all you need.

[Andy Macfarlane]

your judgement couldnt be more wrong lol.

 

Two of us thought the same thing so maybe it's your explanation and not my judgement that's lacking....hmm?

[thuramario]

Two of us thought the same thing so maybe it's your explanation and not my judgement that's lacking....hmm?

was not expecting to get into a cat fight lol.

anyway enough of the judging. i thought this website was for advice n chat. nevertheless i appreciate your input. incidently how would you feel in your third year of fishing having spent all summer chasing a tench, only to catch a handfull of roach (1oz - 1lb), and a few bream (2lb - 5lb)?

well thats me, hence the advice for a change of tactic. i dont do bordem, i simply try, try n try until i can do it. but figgured out, by chatting online that maybee the time to catch tench this year has passed. (thats not boredem my freind, "common sense" i think you will find lol).

anyway feel free to question my tactics and tecniques at all times (i can only learn from such instances).

cheers, Thuramario.

[chesters1]

hmmmm i'v seen for myself pole anglers outcatching carp fishermen in the daytime (and some splendid fish as well) ,night fishing isnt just about fishing its getting out from everyday life ,its camping with the chance of catching fish.

i love night fishing especially using the float but ledgerings fine as well and i love camping as well

[thuramario]

I know the feeling - you put in loads of effort for very little reward. It won't be wasted though, when you come round to tench fishing again next year you'll be way ahead. There's only so much punishment you can take - I recommend putting the tench on hold until next April, May and June (they'll be far easier to catch then, and bigger) and switching to perch and chub for the autumn.

 

Certain species are better prospects as the season progresses, and this is very lake in the year for tench fishing. At this time of year, low light conditions, especially dusk, and mild weather are generally very good for all species. The first few cold days can knock everything dead for a few days, but if it stays cold the fish will acclimatise. It's a time of year for short, sharp targetted sessions - 2 hours before dusk and 1 after is often all you need.

cheers anderoo, just what i wanted to hear, thanks for the boost (i do think come next year i will get one having had a few on this year allready). infact i am gonna try fishing in march for them, what with global warming etc, thought it might go for instead of against us for a change. was thinking about perch fishing (maggot), pike fishing (lure/spinner/jelly) and chub in the river.

could do with some advice on the chub front as it wasnt a species i thought i was ready for seen as i have not fished the river much at all (im a canal and pond/lake guy). what line, method and locations would be a good start (was thinkin swim feed, (hemp groundbait, luncheon chunks and cut worm), worm and meat on a 14hook, 4lb hooklength, 5lb mainline), probably next to some weeds were the river meanders and fish in the slow moving water on the inside, actually there is a river section that meets up with another like a fork in the road, maybee their). any advice always welcome.

[thuramario]

Step up a gear ehhh. You could always broaden you horizons, get on a fishing boat for some cod, pollack, nice little conger eel or blonde ray, bass, turbot and you can eat some if you wish, haven't got board yet.

me and a few mates are gonna give it a go (just for a fun day out), i thing were gonna start with mackerel and then use them for something bigger. do you know any good skippers in the north west.

[thuramario]

hmmmm i'v seen for myself pole anglers outcatching carp fishermen in the daytime (and some splendid fish as well) ,night fishing isnt just about fishing its getting out from everyday life ,its camping with the chance of catching fish.

i love night fishing especially using the float but ledgerings fine as well and i love camping as well

me to, at night you truly get the world to yourself. no kids, or dogs running in your swim, just a few mates, the radio on low and a few cold ones, awsome.

i like how loud the waterside gets with wildlife aswell.

[Anderoo]

cheers anderoo, just what i wanted to hear, thanks for the boost (i do think come next year i will get one having had a few on this year allready). infact i am gonna try fishing in march for them, what with global warming etc, thought it might go for instead of against us for a change. was thinking about perch fishing (maggot), pike fishing (lure/spinner/jelly) and chub in the river.

could do with some advice on the chub front as it wasnt a species i thought i was ready for seen as i have not fished the river much at all (im a canal and pond/lake guy). what line, method and locations would be a good start (was thinkin swim feed, (hemp groundbait, luncheon chunks and cut worm), worm and meat on a 14hook, 4lb hooklength, 5lb mainline), probably next to some weeds were the river meanders and fish in the slow moving water on the inside, actually there is a river section that meets up with another like a fork in the road, maybee their). any advice always welcome.

 

No probs, ignore the hecklers, I think they got the wrong end of the stick! It's refreshing to see a relatively new angler trying something tricky instead of filling his boots at the local carp pool.

 

Chub is the answer to your woes - when all else fails, there's always chub I reckopn that fishing for chub teaches you more about fishing in general than any other species. They're spooky, so you have to be quiet and stealthy; they are often in predictable spots in the river, which change regularly with varying conditions, so you have to use watercraft to suss out where they are likely to be; they eat pretty much anything, which is good!; they can be caught all year round, even when there's snow on the ground; they can be very finicky sometimes, so you have to really think about your tactics; other times they pull your rod in as soon as you've cast; and they encourage a roving style of fishing, so you end up doing lots of exploring and baiting up, teaching you lots about the river and its moods and flows. Plus they're proper, wild fish, and beautiful ones at that.

 

What kind of river is it? Big/small, wide/narrow, fast/slow? That will have an effect on how you approach it.

 

In general, assuming it's a fairly small river with fast and slow, deep and shallow sections, with snags like overhanging trees and tree roots, what you'll ideally want is a quivertip rod with a test curve of 1-1.5lb tc, any old reel, and line of about 6lb. Use a hooklength of a lower breaking strain, because you will cast into snags at some point and have to pull for a break The clearer the water, the lower diameter hooklength. In really clear water, flurocarbon is good (the only time I ever use it). A simple free running leger is all you need. Use SSG splitshot as weight, so you can add/remove weight as required. Hook size to match bait, bon't be worried about using big hooks, up to 6 or even 4. Travel very light so you can stay mobile - you only need to give each swim about 20 minutes.

 

For this style of chubbing, big baits are best - chunks of luncheon meat, bread, and this year I'm going to try bits of lamprey - apparently they're good.

 

The swims you're looking for are bits of the river where there is (a) cover e.g. overhanging tree, tree roots, weed rafts, etc., ( slow or slack water next to faster water, close to the bank, © a deeper depression in the riverbed, even better if surrounded by weed, (d) slow, steady sections which look boring - nice 'flat' water on the surface, (e) 'creases' in the current, where fast water meets slow. The chub hang in the slower water waiting for food.

 

If you find a spot with 2 or more of these, I'd consider it a bit of a banker!

 

Before fishing, introduce a few samples of bait into each likely looking spot, then rest them for 15 minutes while you set up. Fish each in turn - drop your hookbait into the best looking spot, no other loosefeed, and give it 20 minutes. If a chub is there, you should catch it quite quickly! Wait for a positive bite on the quivertip - chub often 'pluck' at the tip. Ignore these, although it's a good indication they're in the swim.

 

Even the smallest little feature is worth a go. Last winter I caught decent chub from a tiny (2ft x 2ft) slack in only 12" of water, behind the trailing branches of a tree under my feet.

 

If you stay very quiet and remember that chub are lazy (slow/slack water) and greedy and love a roof over their heads (snags, other cover) you won't go far wrong

Edited September 17, 2008 by Anderoo